Resorting

This past Saturday I met Erica and her mom at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes. Truthfully, I didn't even know that Terranea existed until recently.

Palos Verdes is just northwest of Long Beach and is a little bump off into the ocean. It's sort of its own little world, because you really wouldn't go there unless you had a reason to since it's off the main thoroughfares of Los Angeles. 

The drive through PV is beautiful and offers stunning views of the ocean and Catalina Island. If you're ever in LA it's definitely worth the detour.

Erica grew up in PV, so she knows all the ins and outs. Apparently, the grounds on which Terranea sit used to be a beloved marine park...sort of like SeaWorld, but maybe with less evils? Years and years ago this park was sold to the evil villian Sea World who came in the night with no warning and transported the animals to San Diego. A few of them died on the trip. :( The residents of PV were devastated to lose these marine friends that they considered their own.

Anyway, after that...Terranea moved in. The resort had some trouble at first, but seems to be doing just great now. 

I met Erica and her mom Trisha for lunch at Nelsons. I had a chicken sandwich on foccacia and it was delectable! We also sipped the house white wine, which was quite tasty too!

After lunch, we wandered a bit up and through the main building of the hotel. It's all very grand and beautiful. There are dozens of vistas from which to look out over the ocean. It was a overcast day, but this did nothing to deter from the beauty of the scenery. I only wish I had the money to rent one of the bungalows or villas for the weekend. Incredible. 

Near the entrance to the hotel, we grabbed some lattes and a peanut butter cookie, which was...omg. My Terranea latte was also unique and delicious. 

We sat for a long time chatting and watching dozens of people arrive to the hotel. Many of the visitors were dressed for fancy weddings and it was neat to see all the dresses. 

We meandered back towards the ocean side to see some views, but the chilly winds sent us into the lobby, where we decided on some more cocktails just in time for cocktail hour. 

Blurry pic of cool chandelier

Erica and I each got a champagne cocktail and Trisha had wine. Yummy. There were giant fire places with crackling fires and it was all so cozy. 

A jazz band started playing and we decided to order a light dinner to round out our day. We settled on a charcuterie plate with cheeses. Charcuterie is a word I did not know, so color me uncultured. :P It's a collection of cold meats for any other riff raff out there. ;) 

The aftermath

All was, again, delicious and we had a lovely time listening to the band and enjoying the ambiance. Women in fancy dressed continued to walk through the lobby. I felt like a member of the upper crust. ;)

Finally, we decided we were spent from 'resorting all day' and decided to head home for bed. 

Did I mention the sunset was awesome?

It was such a fun and unexpected adventure. I felt like we were on vacation in what is (almost) our own back yards.